A hand-drawn 1959 autographed drawing by writer Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov is an outstanding writer, poet, translator and literary critic who has left a significant mark on world culture. He was born in 1899 in St. Petersburg into an aristocratic family. After the revolution, he emigrated, living in Germany, France, and then in the USA and Switzerland. He is best known for his works such as Lolita, The Protection of Luzhin, The Gift, and Ada, characterized by their refined style, complex structure, and wordplay. In addition to his literary work, Nabokov was a passionate entomologist who devoted years to the study of butterflies and made contributions to lepidopterology.

Butterflies occupied a special place in Nabokov's life and work. Since childhood, he was fond of collecting them, and in his mature years he worked as a curator of the entomological department of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Nabokov not only described several new species, but also developed a theory of the evolution of pigeons, which gained scientific recognition decades later. His works of art are filled with butterfly motifs, reflecting the themes of fragility, transformation and the transience of beauty. Nabokov's hand-drawn butterfly drawing is a rare and valuable testimony to his passion, harmoniously combining his scientific and literary passion.